Ryu Sanada
"Ryu is a serious and kind guy. He's an earnest and great guy. Ever since he was a kid, so long as he could find one thing to motivate him, he would be satisfied. He would silently overcome the toughest of times. He wouldn't blame anyone. Ryu would just quietly persevere." - Chizuru describing Ryu's personality Ryu Sanada (真田 龍 Sanada Ryū) is a character in the series Kimi ni Todoke. Appearance Ryu is a tall, fit, and considerably good-looking boy. Inheriting his father Genji's looks, he has beige skin, shaved black hair, and sharp and slanted brown eyes. When in school, he either wears the standard Kitahoro male uniform, a tucked-in white blouse, blue pants, and rubber shoes, occasionally wearing the blue blazer and red tie; or his baseball attire, a white shirt with long black sleeves, white pants, baseball cleats, and a blue cap with a "K" on it. His casual and winter wear comprise of black, grey, and white tees, bottoms, and jackets or hoodies. When exercising, he wears a black and white cap with an "RHCP" logo on it. Personality Ryu is quiet and reserved, one who rarely talks but is able to communicate well with others. While he appears to be clueless most of the time, he is actually very sensitive and in-tune to the feelings of others, most especially Chizuru's. On more than one occasion, he has been shown to be aware of people's thoughts and concerns just by observing their behavior. He himself, however, does not reveal his feelings or emotions as openly as others. He is often shown to be sleepy while in class and does seem to enjoy napping whenever possible. Ryu also is considered to be quite smart, once passing his exams without needing remedial classes, much to Chizuru's surprise. He sacrifices a lot to comfort others, something that Chizuru is very aware of. He is also capable of giving helpful advice to his friends when his opinion is sought in different situations. However, due to his bluntness and direct demeanor, his advice can sometimes be misunderstood. Ryu also seems to like animals a lot; when Shouta was going to walk Pedro Martinez, his adopted puppy, home with Sawako, Chizuru pulls Ryu away and tells him that he will walk with her and Ayane instead. While being pulled away from Shota's puppy, he cries out for it. Ryu is also very hardworking, shown when he is exercising every night, playing baseball, or working in his family's ramen shop. He aspires to be accepted into university and continue playing baseball. Relationships Chizuru Yoshida Ryu is a close childhood friend of Chizuru, having been neighbors and friends since they were young. His feelings for Chizuru were established early on and was hinted on several occasions. He does not deny having feelings for her and later confirms his love for her to Sawako''Kimi ni Todoke'', Manga - Volume 4, Chapter 14. While his love is unrequited, he is very patient with Chizuru, still staying friends and knowing that she will not immediately like him romantically. He is more than willing to comfort her when she is upset, though he would rather have her mad at him, knowing that is how she can vent out her emotions better. In the manga, during a school trip to Okinawa, a girl confesses her feelings for Ryu, who rejects her because he "likes someone else."Kimi ni Todoke, Manga - Volume 14, Chapter 56 After Chizuru hears about it and was later confronted by the girl, who assumed that the girl he likes was her''Kimi ni Todoke'', Manga - Volume 14, Chapter 57. Chizuru felt bothered not being informed about who he liked and wondered who she was. Later on, Ryu properly confesses to her about his feelings, saying that she was always the only one he liked''Kimi ni Todoke'', Manga - Volume 14, Chapter 59. After this, she starts to become increasingly awkward around Ryu, stuttering while speaking, blurting out random insults, or just being at a complete loss for words. He notices this change in her, despite her denial. Chizuru denies having any romantic feelings towards Ryu, and Ryu remains patient with her, accepting whatever decision she may make. When Ryu decides and tells Chizuru that he wants to attend university, it shocks her, thinking he would always remain in their hometown. She becomes confused and distant from him, and later notices and wonders that she always thinks and worries about him. When it was her birthday, he drops by Chizuru's house while on his run to greet her and finds her sitting on the front steps. He asks if anything is wrong, knowing she would always sit there when she was in trouble when they were younger. He claims that while he didn't bring her a present, he promises to "win" and achieve his goals for her because she had always been encouraging him throughout his life. At this point, she bursts into tears and begs him not to go, to his surprise. She later lies that she was joking, but then he grabs her hand and asks if she likes him. Though unresponsive at first, she later replies that she does, finally reciprocating. He then immediately leans forward and kisses her, unexpectedly staying over at her house afterward. Later on, it is confirmed by Chizuru to Sawako that they are dating''Kimi ni Todoke'', Manga - Volume 22, Chapter 88. After losing the North Hokkaido tournament, Ryu stays by the dock to where he and Chizuru go to when they feel down. After Chizuru comforts him, he finally starts to cry, thinking his baseball career is over. After Chizuru's reassurance that it is not, that there is still university for him and that she will support him no matter what, they kiss. He promises to return as soon as he can, saying once he does, they both can become a family and manage his family's shop together''Kimi ni Todoke'', Manga - Volume 25, Chapter 101. Shouta Kazehaya Ryu and Shouta were friends since they both were on the baseball team in their former middle school. They hang around at Ryu's house and attend parties together, sometimes along with Sawako, Chizuru, and Ayane. They talk and listen to each other about their problems, either Chizuru or Sawako-related ones to their own insecurities, and cheer for each other to succeed. Toru Sanada Ryu loves and respects his older brother Toru, respectably referring him as "oni-san" and at one time "aniki." Although it is not obvious, Ryu was jealous of Toru because he knows of Chizuru's crush on him. Toru, who was probably aware of Ryu's crush on her, says that she and Ryu would make a good couple, much to Ryu's agreement. Notes See also Category:Characters Category:Male Character Category:Kitahoro High School Student